Illuminated sign



July 5, 1938. w. B. PIPER ILLUMINATED SIGN Filed May 14, 1935 William fljz'per;

Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,122,657 ILLUMINATED SIGN Application May 14,

7 Claims.

My invention relates to an'illuminated molded glass sign, of the type using neon and similar electrically energized bright colored gases.

In my Reissue Patent #19,417, granted January 8, 1935, and in my Patent No. 2,027,320, dated January 7, 1936, I have disclosed a sign of this type in which .a hermetically sealed channel, for containing the luminous gas, such as neon, molded to the outline of a character, is formed between a front and back portion of glass, fused together at their contacting faces. In order to electrically energize the gas in the channel, electrodes connected with a high frequency current are inserted at the inlet and" outlet openings of the channel.

It has been heretofore the practice to locate these electrodes directly at the inlet and outlet openings and this results in the production of a bright spot at these points.

One of the objects is to so locate the electrodes as to avoid the presence of a bright spot in the letter adjacent the inlet and outlet openings.

Another object is to provide a satisfactory way of applying the electrodes to the sign.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel and'peculia-r features of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing for a more complete disclosure,

Fig. 1 is a' front elevation of a letter C showing the location of the electrodes,

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a letter C showing a modified form in the location of the electrodes,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line :)::L' of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line y-y of Fig. 1,

Fig. '5 is a fragmentary horizontal section of one form for mounting the electrode tube in the back plate,

Figs. 6, 'Z and 8 are similar sections of modified forms for mounting the electrode tubes in the back plate,

Fig. 9 is a horizontal fragmentary section on the line e2of Fig. 2.

A letter, such as C, is formed in the front .glass plate by molding or pressing into it, the hollow open channel 2 behind the raised letter portion 3. The back glass plate 4 has pressed into it the open channels 5 which connect with the channel 2 at each end thereof through the 1935, Serial No. 21,464

openings 6, which will be formed when the front plate I and back plate 3 are in proper juxtaposition. It will be understood that the front plate 1 and the back plate 3 are fused together along their contacting faces, so that the open channel portions 2 and 5 when their open sides are against the fiat portions of the plates 4 and I respectively, will form hermetically sealed gas channels, the openings 6 being formed where the open portions of the channels 2 and 5 are opposite each other.

If the electrodes are placed directly behind the openings 6, the letter will show a bright spot at these points, brighter than the luminous gas in the remaining portion of the letter. By offsetting the electrodes 1 to one side, a short distance away from the inlet and outlet openings 6, then the whole length of the channel portion 2 will be uniformly illuminated. It will be understood that, as heretofore, the portion of the front plate, other than the raised letter portion that is to be illuminated, is covered with any suitable opaque material and accordingly the bright spots at the electrodes will not be seen. The distance of the electrodes from the inlet and outlet openings will depend on the size of the illuminated character but in the average size sign will be of the order of about two inches. By molding the channels 5 in the back plate, a cheap and satisfactory construction is thereby produced. While I have shown my invention in connection with a letter C, the same principles of construction are applicable to any other type of character or letter where the same problem is involved.

With the form shown in Fig. 1, there are various ways of applying the electrodes, as more particularly shown in Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive.

With the form shown in Fig. 2, the electrode is applied as shown in Fig. 9. In that case, the electrodes 1 are located in the channels 5, before assembling the front and back plates. The lead Wire 8 connected to the electrode I passes between the front and back plates and out through an opening 9 in the back plate. This construction obviates the usual electrode projecting portions on the back of the back plate.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, the electrode tube 10 is a plain glass tube that is molded at its lower end into the raised portion ll of the back plate 4 formed by the channel 5, at the time the back 1 plate is being molded into shape. The tube 10 is provided with the tubulation 12, through which the air is exhausted in the channel 2 and the luminous gas introduced, after which the tube is sealed by pinching it tight while hot and plastic.

I The glass tube Ill is closed at its upper end by the glass plate l3 welded to the top of the tube and through which passes the conducting wire l4, held and sealed therein by the internal pinch l5.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the lower end of the glass tube In is flared at It at its lower end and molded into the back plate in the same manner as the form shown in Fig. 3. The tubulation l2 in this form may be made as a part of the top plate 13 rather than as a part of the glass tube iii as in Fig. 3.

In theform shown in Fig. 6, the lower end of i the glass tube Ill is flared at I6 as in Fig. 5 but the upper end is pinched at 11, while hot and plastic, around the conducting wire 14.

In the form shown in Fig. 7 the glass tube [0 is molded integral with the back plate and a cap l3 fused to the top thereof as in Fig. 3.

In the form shown in Fig. 8, the glass tubelfl is made in two parts l8 and i9 that are welded together at 2B, the lower part being molded with the back plate. 'The upper part is formed of a glass tube the top and sides being made of one piece, the tubulation l2 being carried thereby and the electrical conductor wire H! passing through a sealedaperture in the top, the part 59 and the electrode carried thereby being assembled before welding along the line 20. When it is not feasible to have the tubulation carried by the glass electrode tube, then it may be carried by the back plate, and located as at 2!, Fig. 2.

What I claim is:

1. A molded glass sign comprising a front and back panel fused together along their contacting faces, a character channel molded in the front panel, an electrically conductive gas in the channel, and an electrode channel molded in the back panel, an electrode in the electrode channel, and a conducting wire connected to the electrode and located between the contacting faces of the front and back panel.

2. A molded glass sign comprising a front and back panel fused together along their contacting faces, a character channel molded in the front panel, an electrically conductive gas in the channel, and an electrode channel molded in the back panel, an electrode in the electrode channel, a conducting wire connected to the electrode and located between the contacting faces of the front and back panel and an aperture in the back panel through which the conducting wire passes.

3. A molded glass sign having a hermetically sealed gas channel shaped to the outline of a character, inlet and outlet openings for the flow of electric current communicating with the said channel, electrode channels molded into the body of the sign and communicating at one end with said openings, an electrically conductive gas in the said channels, electrodes in the electrode channels, spaced from and offset to one side from the said openings to avoid bright spots in the character at the said openings, when the current is on and the character is illuminated and conducting wires connected to the electrodes and located between the contacting faces of the front and back panel. I

4. .Amolded glass sign having a hermetically sealed gas channel shaped to the outline of a character, inlet and outlet openings for the flow of electric current communicating with the said channel, electrode channels molded into the body of the sign and communicating at one end with said openings, an electrically conductive gas in the said channels, electrodes in the electrode: channels, spaced from and offset to one side from the said openings to avoid bright spots in the character at the said openings, when the current is on and the character is illuminated, conducting wires connected to the electrodes and located between the contacting faces of the front and back panel and apertures in the back panel i through which the conducting wires pass.

panel, a molded glass character panel provided,

with a channel shaped to the outline of a character, with the open part of the channel being disposed against the back panel, an electrically conductive gas in the 'channel, the panels being fused together into a unit, inlet and outlet openings for the flow of electric current communicating with said passage, open channels molded in the said back panel and disposed against the character panel to provide a second channel, the near ends of the second channel being connected with the inlet and outlet openings, electrodes spaced from the inlet and outlet openings and offset to one side from the illuminated visible portion of.

the character, and located at the outer ends of the second channel, to avoid bright spots in the character at the said openings, when the current is on and the character is illuminated and opaque material covering the second channels.

6. A molded glass sign comprising two glass panels fused together at their contacting faces, one of the panels being provided with a channel molded to the outline of a character, the other panel being provided with a second channel, the open parts of the said channels being disposed in part against the opposite panel to provide a hermetically sealed gas channel, an electrically conductive gas in the channel, a portion of the open portions of the said first and second channels being disposed opposite each other to provide inlet and outlet openings to the character channel and electrodes in the second channel and spaced from the inlet and outlet openings and offset to one side from the illuminated visible portion of the character to avoid bright spots in the character at the said openings when the current is on and the character is illuminated.

7. A molded glass sign comprising a back glass panel, a molded glass character panel provided with a channel shaped to the outline of a character, with the open part of the channel being disposed against the back panel, an electrically conductive gas in the channel, thev panels being fused together into a unit, inlet and outlet openings for the flow of electric current communicating with said channel, auxiliary open channels molded in the said back panel and disposed against the character panel, one end of the auxiliary channels being connected with the inlet and outlet openings, electrodes spaced from the inlet and outlet openings and located at the other end of the auxiliary channels and offset to one side from the illuminated visible portion of the character to avoid bright spots in the character at the said openings, when the current is on and the character is illuminated and glass electrode receptacles molded as an integral part of and at the other end of the auxiliary channels in the back panel.

WILLIAM B. PIPER. 

